Content optimisation - acquisitions a go-go

On-site content optimisation has hit the headlines a couple of times over the past weeks.

With two US competitors to our multivariate testing solution being acquired, the shape of this market has changed considerably.

Organisations from outside our space are taking a keen interest in optimisation and seeing us as a complementary value added solution.

First the web analytics company Omniture acquired Offermatica, a US-based site content testing outfit.

Then last month, our remaining independent US competitor announced it was to be acquired by the content management provider Interwoven.

Both acquisitions undoubtedly make a lot of sense for the respective buyers.

Omniture has seen that content optimisation is a complementary service offering, and one that delivers real returns for clients while differentiating its analytics product in a crowded marketplace.

Interwoven will equally add another feather to its bow in acquiring optimisation capability.

Clients can now optimise content to learn what drives conversions or any other key metric.

Again, it’s about marking themselves as different in a content management marketplace that is becoming increasingly competitive.

The presence of larger organisations starting to take note of our market is a good sign.

It reinforces our belief that there will come a day when site optimisation is considered as fundamental a part of online strategy as PPC and good SEO are today.

In not much more than two years, onsite content optimisation has come from zero to the level we see today.

Growth is still accelerating in the US, UK and Europe.

Our continued independence means we’re well placed to take advantage of this growth.

The ability to work alongside any content management system, analytics package or PPC management platform without limitation will allow independents to engage with a wider range of clients, free from technical or corporate constraints.

Today, this niche we sit in is a relatively small one that only the more forward-looking marketers are benefiting from, tomorrow the market will be somewhat different and this evolution will demand a certain degree of agility to keep apace.

Mark Simpson is the MD of Maxymiser, a provider of Multivariate Testing and Content Optimisation.

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